Any Frenchman, moreover, between | the ages of eighteen and twenty-four, who has not been already conscripted, who is of sufficient height, able-bodied, unmarried, or a widower without children, and provided with a certificate of good conduct, may volunteer for five years' service in the army or navy. lowed, though, of course, the judgment may be published. This appears to us a very salutary provision of law, which might well be introduced in America. The deposit of security (consisting of an actual payment in cash) in the hands of the government was abolished in October, 1870, but was re-established by the law of July 6, 1871, though the amount thereof is only about one-half of that fixed by the law of 1852, the sums now required being, for every periodical appearing more than three times a week, if pub A soldier may also re-enlist, upon the completion of his five years of active service, for a further term of two, three, four, or five years, during which period he is entitled to extra pay at the extravagant rate of eight centimes, or, if he be a non-lished in the Department of the Seine, commissioned officer, of ten centimes (two cents) a day! 24,000 francs, and in any other department 12,000 francs, if published in a city having more than fifty thousand inhabitants, and 6000 francs in other cases; and for all other periodicals (except non-political pub As a further inducement to remain in active service, it is provided by the law of July 24, 1873, that certain civil and military employments are reserved exclusive-lications appearing not more frequently ly for those who have been in the active army for twelve years, and during four of these years with the grade of non-commissioned officer. The total effective force of the army in time of peace is 450,000, and in time of war 2,000,000. We may add, in passing, that by the terms of a law passed August 1, 1874, horses and mules are duly enrolled, and are liable to conscription for military pur poses. The Press. The laws which regulate the press continue to be very stringent, though some modifications of a liberal character have been introduced since the fall of the Empire. Thus all attacks on the constituted authorities, or on the religion of the state, or on either of the religions whose establishment is recognized by law, as well as all attacks upon the sovereign or other head of a foreign state, all publication of false news, all writings which excite to the commission of crimes or misdemeanors, or incite one class of citizens to hatred of another class, and all defamation of individuals, are punishable by fine and imprisonment, while the publication of merely insulting or abusive articles, not specifying any matter of fact, to the detriment of private individuals-i.e., a simple injure, as distinguished from diffamation-is punishable by fine only. The accused is not permitted to justify a libel by proof of its truth, except when it refers to some action of a public officer in the discharge of his duties as such. And only in this latter case is the publication of the proceedings at the trial al than once a week), 18,000 francs in the Department of the Seine, and in the other departments one-half of the amounts specified above. The sum so deposited as security is primarily applicable to the payment of all damages and costs awarded against the proprietor or manager of the paper which publishes a libellous article, or against the author of such article. The stamp duty upon newspapers, which existed under the Empire, was abolished by decree of September 5, 1870. Every publisher is still obliged to deposit two copies of every newspaper, or other periodical issued by him, in the hands of the public authorities. The law of December 29, 1875, provides that no administrative authority shall have the right to prohibit the sale on the public streets of any particular journal. But the most important change recently effected in favor of the press is that made by the law of April 15, 1871, removing press offenses from the jurisdiction of the Tribunaux Correctionnels, and submitting them to trial by jury before the courts of assize. The Right of Public Meeting (Droit de Réunion).-This right is still subject to the restrictions imposed by the law of June 6, 1868, though we believe that a bill is now before the Legislature having for its object to remove or modify such restrictions. Under the present law a special authorization must be obtained for all public meetings of a political or religious character, but not for others. In every case, however, a declaration must be signed by seven persons, and lodged three days in advance with the proper authorities, set ting forth the object, place, and hour of the proposed assembly, and admission thereto must be allowed to the public functionary who may be delegated to attend it, and who is clothed with the right of dispersing the same if it become disorderly, or if its officers persist in permitting any subject to be discussed which is foreign to its avowed object. POINTS OF DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FRANCE AND THE UNITED STATES. (1) It will appear from what we have already said that there are great constitutional differences between these two countries as regards the mode of election and terms of office of the President, Senators, and Deputies. as a protection against hostile neighbors and Indians, to say nothing of domestic foes. (7) There exists a large and well-organized police force in France, under the title of Gendarmerie Nationale, the counterpart of which is not to be found in America. | French Finances, Commerce, etc., since 1869.-For a variety of statistical information on these subjects we beg to refer our readers to the annexed tables. It will be necessary for them to bear in mind that France lost two populous and wealthy provinces by the war of 1870. It will be observed that the increase of (2) A still more important difference exists as regards the French and the American judiciary, in that all of the judges in France, save those of the tribunals of commerce, receive their appointment from the President, and hold office for life, or until retired on pensions, except the justices of the peace, who are removable at will. The judges of the Tribunaux de Première In-public revenue and expenditure from 1869 stance and those of the Cours d'Appel may, of course, be removed for misconduct, but only after trial and condemnation by the Cour de Cassation. The judges of this latter court are retired on pensions at the age of seventy-five, those of the lower courts at seventy. Any judge may also be retired at any time by reason of serious and permanent infirmity disqualifying him for the discharge of his duties. to 1876 was about fifty per cent.; that the imports for home consumption have increased in a much larger ratio than the exports of domestic produce; that the revenue from telegraphs has more than doubled; that the length of railways in operation has been greatly augmented; that the business of the Post-office, especially in the transportation of printed matter, is much larger than formerly; and that the ratio of deaths to births was greater and that of marriages smaller in 1876 than in the preceding years, which last fact is naturally one to cause serious inquietude, as tending to reduce the population and relative importance of France. We are unable to furnish the figures showing the expenditures of the Ministry of Public Works since 1876, and must content ourselves with referring to the declaration (5) There is no religion of the state in made by the Prime Minister, M. De FreyAmerica, as in France. (3) There is no body in the United States which corresponds to the Conseil d'État, while, on the other hand, there exists in France no Supreme Court having authority to declare a law unconstitutional and void. (4) The government of the United States has no jurisdiction over the system of education, such as appertains to the government of France. (6) The army of France is an immense burden upon the country, while Americans have been led by an exaggerated jealousy of a standing army, and perhaps in unwitting furtherance of the unavowable designs of certain unscrupulous politicians, to reduce their military force to a ridiculously low standard, entirely out of keeping with the extent of their territory and the work required of it VOL LXII.-No. 370.-37 cinet, at the opening of the Conseil Général of the Tarn-et-Garonne, on the 18th of August, namely, that the government had expended 100,000,000 francs for internal improvements in 1878, and 200,000,000 in 1879, and was to spend for the same object 300,000,000 in 1880, 400,000,000 in 1881, and 500,000,000 annually thereafter until 1890, when it was estimated that the whole system of public works now in progress would be completed. FINANCIAL STATISTICS. 627,379,876 332,439,520 334,715,118 378,372,368 387,839,491 94,628,616 165,840,989 108,595,637 112,891,000 114,179,000 104,857,000 General Special (i. e., for home consumption). 1872. 1874. 1876. 1878. .... 4,008,700,000 4,501,600,000 4,422,500,000| 4,908,800,000] In the Budget of 1880 the total receipts are estimated at 2,749,716,800 francs, and the expenses at 2,749,485,756 francs. The official returns for the first eight months of 1880 show that the imports amounted to 3,252,173,000 francs, of which articles for consumption as food equalled 1,346,628,000 francs (which is double the figure for ordinary years), while the exports for the same period aggre The Post-office rates were reduced May 1, 1878. The expenses of this department amounted in 1870 to 1,275,620,555 francs, and in 1871 to 1,224,305,860 francs. § The number of marriages in 1870 was 223,705; in 1871, 262,476. i gated only 2,154,151,000 francs. As this year's harvest is a fair one, there will doubtless be a large reduction in imports the coming year, while the exports (to the United States, at all events) are likely to increase. port of the public primary schools have increased from 19,637,027 francs in 1863 to 51,892,476 francs in 1877! And, as a natural consequence of the efforts thus PROGRESS OF EDUCATION. Primary Instruction.-The salaries of the public-school teachers, both male and female, have been considerably increased within the last few years, and the gov-made, the proportion of wholly illiterate' ernment has pursued a wise and liberal policy in regard to education. The results are not yet all apparent, but an examination of the tables hereto appended will show that, on the whole, there has been a marked progress, which gives promise of better things to come. Thus it will be seen that, though the number of communes was less in 1876 than in 1863, the total number of schools had increased by 2786 (the number of private schools having diminished by 3790, while that of the public schools increased by 6576); that of the total number of children from five to fifteen years of age the proportion entered on the school lists has steadily augmented; and that the number to whom instruction is given gratuitously has been rapidly growing, more particularly in the lay schools. It will be observed, too, that while the sums received by way of donations and legacies and from the pupils themselves have remained almost stationary, the amounts contributed by the communes, the departments, and the state (or, in other words, by the tax-payers at large) for the sup men and women has been very considerably reduced. Superior Instruction.-The salaries of the inspectors and professors engaged in the highest branches of education have also been recently augmented. There have been created under the Republic two new faculties of law, one at Bordeaux, the other at Lyons; three new faculties of medicine, of which one is at Lyons, one at Bordeaux, and one at Lille; nineteen new professorships of science, physics, and natural history (such as of differential and integral calculus, astronomy, mechanics, chemistry, organic and applied, botany, and zoology); one of Greek poetry; three of geography; and four of archæology. And lastly, the amount appropriated by the state for the different faculties and the higher schools of pharmacy increased from 3,895,521 francs in 1868 to 9,165,330 francs in 1878! The facts and figures we have cited sufficiently show that the republican leaders fully realize the vast importance of the educational question. EDUCATIONAL STATISTICS. ..in 1863, 37,510..in 1876-77, 36,056 Number of communes.. Number of schools for boys alone. Number of schools for girls alone. Number of mixed schools.. The public schools comprised: Lay schools (écoles laïques) for boys.. Lay schools for girls. Schools under direction of religious for boys. The private schools comprised: Lay schools for boys.. Lay schools for girls. Religious community schools for boys Number of children in France from 5 to 15 years of age in 1866-67, 6,529,271. The proportion of children enrolled in schools of all kinds to the total number of children between the ages of 5 and 15 was: In 1863, 66.6 per cent.; in 1867, 69.1 per cent.; in 1876–77, 73.6 per cent. The proportion of non-paying pupils to the whole number attending the public schools was as follows: In the lay schools.... .in 1863, 29.0 per cent. ; in 1867, 32.8 per cent.; in 1876-77, 53.0 per cent. In the religious communities. in 1863, 57.9 per cent.; in 1867, 59.0 per cent.; in 1876-77, 66.3 per cent. The ordinary resources of the public primary schools were as follows: Proportion of men able to read out of those who were enrolled on the conscription lists, and whose educational condition was verified: Proportion of men and women who signed the marriage register, the rest declaring that they were unable to do so: From 1866 to 1870, 75.0 per cent. of the men and 62.3 per cent. of the women signed. POLICY AND PROSPECTS OF THE FRENCH REPUBLIC. We will now venture to express some opinions, and offer some suggestions on this the remaining branch of our subject. There is no longer any adverse party, or possible coalition of purely political parties, at all able to cope with the Republic. But it still has great difficulties to encounter in the radicalism of some of its adherents, in the natural opposition of the priests and the large property-holders, in the infidelity of some and the ignorance of others of its citizens. The priests do not like a government which, impelled by a sense of patriotic duty as well as of political interest, curtails their power, resents their intermeddling in non-religious matters, and seeks to educate and enlighten the masses of the people. We do not mean to deny that the Roman Catholic Church may have exercised a salutary conservative influence in France during the turmoils of the past century, nor that many excellent men and good citizens are to be found within its pale. But we do assert that (speaking in general terms) its rulers and guides have not profited by their opportunities as they ought. We believe that by their greed of gain, and of political and social influence, they have disgusted many; and that by their opposition to the enlightenment of the masses, their proclamation of papal infallibility, and their encouragement of gross superstitions, they have disgusted more, and driven many thousands into practical infidelity. And it is, we fear, largely due to the absence of a pure and reasonable faith in the great God and Father of all, and a consequent want of confidence in one another, that French society has been so unstable, unreliable, and difficult to govern. Men are, beyond all question, the better for such a faith, even though they may not live completely up to its requirements; while the utter want of it certainly takes away from man his highest incentive to good conduct, his greatest solace in affliction, and support in adversity. Its possession tends to make him more honest and truthful, and to increase his respect for himself and his fellow-men. Without it he becomes either indolent or self-seeking, with but little regard for the rights and interests of others; and assuming, as he does, that they are equally selfish, he naturally has no confidence in their professions of interest in his welfare, and in their apparent zeal for the public good. Another source of embarrassment to the republic is to be found in the national characteristic of an unwillingness to assume responsibility, which may spring directly from a want of faith, and from the |